Language Use and Language Maintenance in Ọ́lọ̀wà, Dèkínà Local Government Area, Kògí State, Nigeria (Published)
This study investigated language use and language maintenance in Ọ́lòwà, Dèkínà Local Government Area, Kògí State, Nigeria with a view to identifying the factors responsible for the use or non-use of the languages in contact, namely Ígálà, Bàssà-Ngé, and Bàssà-Kómǒ, and how the factors manifest across different socio-cultural groups in the community. Fishman’s theory on the relationship between micro- and macro-sociolinguistics, which centres around who speaks what language to whom and when, was used. One hundred respondents from each of the three language groups totaling three hundred respondents representing the different age groups, sexes, and socio-cultural classes were selected through random sampling. The data were analyzed using simple percentage to determine the extent of language use and language maintenance. The findings show that each respondent is proficient in his or her native language and in the dominant language, Ígálà. Factors responsible for this include ethnic identity consciousness, inter-ethnic relations such as marriage, economic, communal and other socio-cultural activities. Another factor is religion. This work adds to our existing knowledge of how the three languages used in the community have co-existed without any of them being endangered
Keywords: Language, Language use, Multilingualism, Proficiency, language maintenance
The Effect of Anxiety on Iranian EFL Learners Speaking Skill (Published)
Speaking skill is necessary for everyone who wants to learn second / foreign languages. Feelings of anxiety and nervousness are common among second/foreign language learners. Different learners with different level of anxiety use different strategies while speaking a foreign language. Existence of such feelings in the learners may prevent them from achieving the desired goal. Some speak in front of others without any anxiety, but some delay this activity until learn enough knowledge, and some delay it forever and never speak a foreign language. The aim of present study is to investigate the relationship between anxiety and English speaking skill among Iranian EFL learners. To achieve this aim 100 of EFL learners who learn English in language learning institutions in Ilam province are investigated. The instrument used in this study to measure student’s foreign language speaking anxiety is the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz (1986), and the results of speaking grades which are qualitative data from the interview with learners is used as another kind of questionnaire to measure learners speaking. To analyze the scores SPSS software was used. The results show that English learning anxiety has a significant moderate negative correlation with the English achievement of the students in this study, the participants of this study as EFL learners usually have levels of anxiety, and the higher the FLCAS score is, the low English speaking is, so by reducing the level of anxiety of learners English speaking can be improved.
Keywords: Anxiety, EFL Learner., Proficiency, Speaking Skill